CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - While her daughter recovers, a victim's mother looks for answers in a brutal assault. She wants to know why a friend the victim knew for a year and a half allegedly turned on her so violently.

Police arrested Bryan Roche, 21, of Marion earlier this week on suspicion of first-degree kidnapping, first-degree sexual abuse and attempted murder. He remains in the Linn County on $200,000 bond and conviction of either first degree count would mean an automatic sentence of life in prison without parole.

He's accused of assaulting a 20-year-old victim at 1627 2nd Ave. S.E. last Sunday evening. Roche allegedly held the woman captive for two hours, tied her up, choked her, sexually assaulted her and then stabbed her twice.

The victim's mother, who only wanted to use her first name "Doreen" said her daughter is recovering but nearly died in the attack. And she thinks what may have happened is a relationship that went tragically wrong. And Doreen believes there's also evidence Roche may have planned an assault weeks or months ago.

"Two months back, my grand baby kept saying grandmother there's a monster outside my bedroom. I think it was him and he was stalking her for months," Doreen said.

Doreen says she can't prove Roche was watching her daughter's apartment from outside. But she does know from police that the accused attacker was waiting for her daughter on the steps of the apartment last Sunday. The victim's mother said both Roche and her daughter had met in an online chat room about a year and a half ago. Information released by police referred to a meeting on a social media site.

But Doreen said what happened last Sunday wasn't the result of a risky and recent online encounter. She said her daughter and Roche met later in person and became friends to the point of going to parties together and other activities. But about two months ago, her daughter told her Roche wanted a romantic relationship.

"She was telling him I don't want a relationship, I just want to be friends. He snapped out, he didn't take no for an answer," she said.

Doreen also said Roche threatened someone else during the attack.

"He left my child for dead and he said once he got done with my daughter he was going to do the same thing to my three year old granddaughter," Doreen said.

Roche made his first court appearance on Wednesday. Court documents show that he admitted the attack to police. The documents also say he led police to a dumpster where he disposed of evidence including the knife.